Hanan Talibah
Hanan Talibah, the'' "Immortal Caliph", was the first woman that became the Caliph, as '''Hanan I'. Early Years Youth In the 9th century Hanan was born as the daughter of Hadi Talibah and a female slave. Her father was an aide of the Merchant King of House Basiri, Aqil al-Basiri. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, pp. 97-98 She lost her mother in an accident very young and her father spent around nine months a year away from their home at Medinat al-Salaam due to his work. She was raised by servants, and grew fearful of death and loneliness. LBS - The Rise of the Caliph, by Patrick Kapera Orphan In 830, Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 200 on the eve of her fifteenth birthday, she rummaged through her father's belongings, recently returned from the Senpet Empire, looking for her gift. Instead, she discovered a copy of the Senpet Book of the Dead. Shortly after, her father was murdered in the Residential Quarter of his city. Because she had no other relatives, the Merchant King took charge of his aide's estate, "adopted" Hanan, and auctioned all of her belongings. Fears Young Hanan was deeply affected by the death of her parents, and she developed an extreme fear of death as well as a resultant fear of being left alone. These fears were instrumental in the most prominent actions Hanan took in her life. Book of the Dead She soon had reasons to hate the Merchant King, who treated her as his property and was open about his intention to sell her as a wife, as he had done with Hanan's mother. She secretly learnt the Senpet language from a servant and studied the Book, that she had somehow managed to keep hidden. The Book taught her about the Senpet's cosmology, and many secrets. It also had secondary effects over her: her magical ability increased, and her inner fears became full grown obsessions. Becoming a Khadi The Merchant King was her first victim, stabbed twelve times in the chest. She knew the penalty would be her death and came to the Book of the Dead to find a escape. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 98 From teachings found in the Book, she created a new magical technique - the Ceremony of the Hidden Heart - that allowed her to make herself immortal, and her enemies into undead thralls: the Khadi, one of the first non-Senpet to be created. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 200 Talibah left the house after she told the guards an assassin had killed the King Merchant. Seizing the power Caliph Her magical power increased and she soon become the most powerful sahir in the city. She had returned with a group of khadi and Hanan openly worked to aid the people with her magical power, while at the same time several sahir were killed in secret by her khadi guard. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 144 When in 828 Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 156 the Caliph died in an accident, Hanan was claimed as the new Caliph by the people, and she had also the support of the Prince Hassan, because she was indeed the lover of the Sultan's son since 825, and became the Caliph. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 155 Khadi guard The Qadi suffered many incidents with casualties, and their posts were filled with the loyalist Khadi. The heartless suffered the curse of those who had performed the ceremony, and their behaviour became bizarre, or even mad. They were the Caliph's enforcers through fear and brutality. The people became to realize the true nature of Hanan and her followers. Sultan is slain The Sultan after one year began to criticize Hanan. She manipulated the Prince into killing his father the Sultan. Using her wiles and dark magics she had placed the Prince under her control. De facto ruler She governed alone for a time, but the people claimed a new Sultan to replace the murdered. A new Sultan was appointed, on her recommendation, chosing a member of the House Menjari, from the family al-Rassulii. Hanan became the de facto ruler of Medinat al-Salaam. From that moment on, she governed the city with an iron fist, with her Khadi patrolling the streets. Insane The Caliph's reign became crueler with each passing year, as the influence of the Book of the Dead began to affect her mind and that of her undying followers. By the end of her first century, the Caliph was insane. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 201 The new sutan lasted fourty years, and was succeeded by his son. Hanan was as young as when the Sultan had begun to reign and she finally revealed her true nature, an immortal Khadi. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 93 Revolters Her revelation disgusted the people, and the Qabal led a revolt against the Caliph, which was crushed in less than a month. The Sultan enacted a law that forbade the use of the magic, but the Khadi. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 94 Always fearful of anybody challenging her, she forbade any practitioners of magic into the city, and shut down or even burnt down all the libraries, and razed the University. Razed University (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Enemies Assassins The Prince was cursed by the murdered Sultan's mistress, the Grey Woman, and became the immortal Old Man of the Mountain. Two decades after Hanan became the Caliph she confronted the assassin of Khadi known as Man of the Mountain. He was easily defeated by her, but Hanan spared his life when she recognized her former lover. Three decades later the Old Man used the curse as incentive fighting the Caliph and avenging his father founding the Assassins sect. His daughters (and some of his least crippled sons) were trained as ruthless killers, dedicated to undermining the Caliphate. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 158 Qabal Renegade men of learned quality as well as a great amount of sahirs founded the Qabal. Its goal was to destroy the Caliphs hold over the people of the Sultanate. They wanted the shelves of the libraries restocked with the scrolls, and books of knowledge taken from them. 12th Century Lover It was known the Caliph had a lover. From her relation she had four trophies, and the man bore an eyepatch and was known as Seff Seven-Fingers for obvious reasons. Seff Seven-Fingers (LBS - Black Hand, Black Heart Picture and flavor) The Senpet and the Moto War In 1129 an alliance with the Senpet Empire renewed the strength of the city guard and provided the city with a Senpet standing army. The Senpet began to buy states in the Jewel and some said they owned half of the city buildings. The Tale of the Robber and the Caliph (Rulebook Story, LBS - Shadow of the Tyrant), by Patrick Kapera As part of their alliance with the Caliph, the Senpet had to defend her from any outside threats. In 1130 on a routine surveillance of the lands surrounding the Jewel of the Desert, the Senpet met a group armed and headed in Medinaat al-Salaam's direction. They were attacked and defeated, taking the men into slavery. The group were the exiled Scorpion Clan and their escort. During the return, the Moto Clan attempted to free their distant Rokugani cousins, but failed. The Moto-Senpet War began. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 202 Yodotai Yodotai scouts came across the Burning Sands and the Caliph invited them to the palace as konored guests. She began plotting to manipulate this strange new power to her advantage. The Yodotai Warlord decidef to personally inspect the city. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 226 Avatar of the Goddess Hanan knew that an avatar of the Goddess had been reincarnated in one child, called Amru. She sent her Khadi to take her with them, but they were magically killed by an unknown sahir. The Tale of the Robber and the Caliph, Part Two (Rulebook Story, LBS - Secrets and Lies), by Patrick Kapera When the sahir was apprehended, he was recognized as the Senpet Hekau, an advisor of the Pharaoh. Hekau Captured (LBS - Black Hand, Black Heart flavor) He was personally questioned by the Caliph, who wished to know how he had killed her immortal khadi, an unnexpected show of power. Hekau did not know how had he managed to do it, and Hanan passed him to the Senpet their betrayer. Interrogation (LBS - The Awakening flavor) The Robber Hanan listened the tales a imprisoned tomb raider, the Robber, told her to delay his execution. Loss of the Heart In 1131 Hanan suffered two great lost, the Book of the Dead and her Black Heart disappeared. She began to seek who was the responsible and their current location. By happenstance they had been taken by Keseth, who had fled from the Jewel with them. The Caliph was enraged with Ghiyath, because she considered he was the responsible of the loss. She commanded Ghiyath to the Senpet and the Jinn of the Tempest. Elite Sentries (LBS - The Awakening flavor) The Caliph also sent the Khadi Indira under his tracks. Indira (LBS - Shadow of the Tyrant flavor) Advisors dismissed The Caliph was bored by the endless bickering of her advisors, and decided to dismiss them all. Away With You! (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Fourth Avatar After countless hours of research, the Caliph finally knew the identity of the last Avatar, and prepared to kill her. Truth of the Prophecy (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Sultan's Death Eventually she killed the Sultan Yusef III, because Hanan believed he was an obstacle for the events that was happening. Slaves of Mortals, Part I, by Patrick Kapera The Caliph used the spell Discorporation against him in the middle of the Jewel's Court. Discorporation (LBS - The Awakening Picture and flavor) Attacked The Erba'a Alliance confronted Hanan power in 1132. Re-Awakening, Part 1, by Lucas Twyman When her enemies approached the city she sent the Senpet agains them outside the walls. Immortal Council (LBS - The Awakening flavor) The Alliance broke through the city walls, and open warfare erupted on the streets. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 226 The Senpet faltered in the defense. The Moto and Hanif slaves attacked them remorselessly, and they were forced to back down from the struggle, leaving the Ebonites and Khadi to stand alone. Finally realizing the Caliph's betrayal, the Senpet Pharaoh Hensatti dispatched a Phalanx of guards to help end the Caliph's rule. The Senpet Phalanx (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Attacked from all sides, the Caliph sent her elite guard into battle, but soon even they were also defeated. As the battles ended with the defeat of the Caliph and her henchmen, even the Senpet, Ivory Kingdoms Ruhmal worshippers, and city folk turned on the Khadi. Enemy of My Enemy (LBS - The Awakening flavor) Her Khadi fair little better, particularly against the Ashalan Lammassar, who had collected three Khadi hearts in their Ivory Boxes, making him all but invulnerable to their powers. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 150 Death The vendetta of the Assassins ended this year with the death of the Old Man himself, assassinated by his eldest daughter, Fatima, Fatima's Tale and later the death of Hanan during the Shattering of the Jewel. The End of Age The young Senpet sahir Keseth destroyed the Ivory Box and the Caliph's black heart which was inside, and that had fueled so many of the city's evils for so long. It allowed that Hanan Talibah could die. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 99 The release of the Goddess Shinjo from her imprisonement in the Black Earth had allowed the overthrown of the Immortal Caliph. Secrets of the Unicorn, p. 81 Story tale Hanan Talibah's story was recorded by one of the Scribes in the book the Genesis of a Tyrant. Category:Burning Sands Members